AYES ISLAND. 885 



time of our proposed interview. If it will be convenient for you to 

 meet me on Monday at one o'clock I shall be glad to see you at that 

 hour. 



In the meantime, I desire to correct some erroneous impressions 

 which you seem to have derived from my note of the 22d on the subject 

 of the Aves Island claim. 



In transmitting to you a copy of my dispatch to Mr. Eames of the 

 31st October last, and at the same time informing you that there was 

 nothing in the recent communication of Mr. Gutierrez which rendered 

 it desirable, in the opinion of the President, to reopen the discussion 

 of the question of the liability of Venezuela in the case referred to,. 

 I supposed that on that point there was no danger that the position of 

 this government could be misunderstood ; yet you seem to have reached! 

 the conclusion that I desired' still further to discuss th9,t branch of the 

 subject in our contemplated interview before coming to a definite judg- 

 ment concerning it. It is right to inform you that 'this conclusion is 

 directly the reverse of that which I intended to convey, and that the 

 only question connected with the Aves case which this government 

 regards as now open for consideration is one of detail with respect to 

 the character and amount of the indemnity which the claimants in the 

 Aves case ought to receive from Venezuela. 



In expressing the hope, as I did in my note of the 22d instant, that 

 your powers would be found sufficient to enable you to arrange for an 

 adjustment of these details either at Washington or Caraccas, it was 

 far from my intention to intimate any desire on my part to ^'transfer 

 the question" from Caraccas to Washington. On the contrary, if you 

 found yourself authorized to proceed to this adjustment, I hoped to be 

 able to satisfy you that it might be most conveniently accomplished at 

 Caraccas, where the evidence in the case has been already presented, 

 and where an agent representing the claimants has recently gone with 

 the purpose of rendering any aid , in his power towards accomplishing 

 such an adjustment. 



I avail myself, &c.j 



LEWIS CASS. 



Senor M. de Briceno, dc. 



Mr. Briceno to Mr. Cass. 



[Translation.] 



Special Legation of Venezuela in the United States, 

 Washington, Febmary 27, 1858. 

 Most Excellent Sir: It is important to the government of Vene- 

 zuela that its accredited envoy extraordinary ^and minister plenipoten- 

 tiary at this capital should answer promptly the estimable note of 

 your excellency of yesterday's date, received to-day, in which, after 

 Ex. Doc. 10 25 



